I was also having to buy at least two kits to cover all of my thick, long hair, which wasn't cheap! The icing on the cake was when my favorite shade and formula combination was discontinued. I'd grown discontented with drugstore offerings after they seemed to have eliminated the shade range between auburn brown and burgundy red my go-to color is a bright coppery red, which is really difficult to find in a kit. I've had my hair professionally dyed a few times as well, but decided it wasn't worth the money when I could do it myself at home and get a color that was as vibrant and just about as close to what I had in mind when I started.
I've gone burgundy-red and coppery-red and auburn brown. I have been coloring my hair red since I was about 16, and I've wanted to be a redhead since I was about 12! In 8 years of dyeing my hair, I've used quite a few at-home brands with varying luck. I mentioned a couple of posts back that I (finally) dyed my hair again.